Cameroon Excluded as Trump Hosts Select African Leaders to Discuss Economic Ties

The lunch, held in the State Dining Room of the White House, brought together the presidents of Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, and Gabon to discuss what Trump called the “great economic potential in Africa.”

A White House official said the event was intended to “deepen diplomatic ties, advance shared economic goals, and enhance security cooperation” between Washington and “select African nations.”

But for many in Cameroon, Trump’s choice of invitees speaks volumes — and raises uncomfortable questions about where Cameroon now stands in Washington’s Africa policy.

Cameroon Snubbed Despite Historic Ties

Cameroon, which has for decades served as a security partner for U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin and as a regional hub, was passed over. So too were Africa’s largest economies — South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia — all members or aspirants of the BRICS bloc, which Trump has castigated for aligning with America’s rivals, China and Russia.

But Cameroon is not part of BRICS. Instead, analysts say, it may have been left out because it no longer fits Washington’s new Africa playbook.

Christopher Afoke Isike, a professor of African politics and international relations at the University of Pretoria, explained the reasoning:
"Trump handpicked these five leaders as what he calls ‘low-hanging fruit’ — states with little alignment to BRICS, small enough to negotiate with, and useful to counter Chinese and Russian influence without much resistance."

Cameroon, by contrast, has maintained pragmatic ties with Beijing and Moscow — signing mining, infrastructure, and military cooperation agreements with both in recent years. This may have cost Yaoundé its seat at Trump’s table.

From ‘Partner’ to Afterthought?

During his first term, Trump hosted a 2017 working lunch with nine African presidents, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia — major players he described as “partners for promoting prosperity and peace.” But since then, his Africa policy has shifted sharply toward transactional engagement: trade and minerals over aid and diplomacy.

The current list of invitees — all smaller economies — suggests Trump is avoiding countries that are already locked into BRICS strategies or unwilling to break with Chinese and Russian influence.

Yet Cameroon, despite its deep U.S. military cooperation against Boko Haram and its strong diaspora in America, was left off the list.

Some observers see this as a clear signal that Yaoundé’s increasingly opaque politics, coupled with its growing dependency on China and Russia, have eroded its once privileged position in Washington’s Africa calculus.

Trump’s Mineral Gambit Leaves Cameroon Behind

The White House lunch also focused heavily on Africa’s vast mineral wealth. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announced support for a potash project in Gabon this week, and U.S. officials made clear they view the continent as critical to America’s supply of rare earths, cobalt, and lithium.

Cameroon, which boasts substantial bauxite, cobalt, and iron ore reserves, has increasingly turned to Chinese and Russian firms for exploration and extraction — a trend U.S. policymakers have privately criticized.

By choosing to engage Gabon, Senegal, and Liberia instead, Washington is telegraphing that it will prioritize mineral partnerships where it sees fewer Chinese or Russian footprints.

What Next for Cameroon?

For Cameroonian policymakers and business leaders, Trump’s lunch is a wake-up call: Yaoundé is no longer automatically considered a top-tier partner by Washington. Analysts say Cameroon must either recalibrate its foreign policy to reassure the U.S. of its strategic alignment, or risk further marginalization in America’s Africa strategy.

For Cameroonian students, businesspeople, and diaspora communities in the U.S., the symbolism is hard to ignore — especially at a time when U.S. visa policies toward Cameroon have tightened, and aid flows have slowed.

Cameroon Concord’s Take

Trump’s lunch reflects a seismic shift in U.S.–Africa relations: a smaller circle of partners, chosen less for historic ties and more for their immediate usefulness in Washington’s rivalry with China and Russia.

By leaving Cameroon off the list, the Trump administration has sent a clear — if quiet — message: Yaoundé must decide which way it leans.

As the October presidential elections approach, and as Cameroon repositions itself internationally, this snub should spark a sober reassessment of how the country engages its foreign partners.

Cameroon Concord will continue to monitor the fallout of Trump’s Africa strategy and what it means for Cameroon’s place on the continent and beyond.

Reported by the Cameroon Concord International Desk, Yaoundé.